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PROCEEDINGS OF THE SENATE 



OBITUARY ADDRESSES 



OCCASION OF THE DEATH 



Hon. George D. Jackson, 

A SENATOR FROM THE TWENTY-FOURTH DISTRICT 



PE^NSYLYANIA. 



HARRISBURG, PA. 

LANE S. HART, STATE PRINTER. 
1881. 








/C^SI^'/ 



RESOLUTION. 

Resolvea, (If the House of Representatives concur,) That there be printed 
lor the use of the Legislature, bound in mushn, the following, viz : One thou- 
sand copies of the proceedings m the Senate and obituary addresses relating 
to the death of Charles H. Paulson, late Senator from the Forty-fourth dis- 
trict; one thousand copies of the proceedings in the Senate and obituary ad- 
dresses relating to the death of William Elliott, late Senator from the Sixth 
district; and one thousand copies of the proceedings in the Senate and obituary 
addresses relating to the death of George Duggan Jackson, late Senator from 
the Twenty-fourth district; five hundred copies of each for the use of the Sen- 
ate, and five hundred copies oi each for the use of the House of Represent- 
atives. 

Extract from the Journal of the Senate. 

Chief Clerk. 

In the House, February 4, 1S81. 

The foregoing resolution concurred in. 

QiO (MP p 

C/iie/ Clerk House oj Representatives. 

Approved — The 28th day ot February, A. D. 1881. 

ejfecK/tU/ CM/(d. t7\£)oab. 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE SENATE 



ON THE DEATH OF 



HON. George D. Jackson. 



In the Senate, 
TiiuRSDAy, January X?, 1881. 

Mr. McHenry. Mr. President, I offer the following 
resolutions. 

The resolutions were read as follows : 

Whereas, It has pleased Divine Providence to re- 
move from earth our respected friend and esteemed 
associate, the Honorable George D. Jackson, Senator 
from the Twenty-fourth district: 

Resolved, That the Senate of Pennsylvania hereby 
records its high estimate of our late associate as a man, 
a legislator, and a friend. 

Resol/ved, That in the death of Senator Jackson, the 
district has lost one of its honored citizens, the Senate 
of Pennsylvania a most faithful Senator, the cause of 
the people and earnest advocate, and we, his associates, 
a genial companion, and a warm and sympathizing 
friend. 

Resolved, That we sincerely sympathize with the 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE SENATE. 



family of tlie deceased in their sad Ijereavement, and 
extend to them our heartfelt condolence. 

Resoltied, That a copy of these proceedings, care- 
fully engrossed and duly attested, be sent to the family 
of the deceased. 

Mr. McHenry. I give notice that I will call the res- 
olutions uj) at a future time. 

The preamble and resolutions were laid on the table. 

In the Senate, 
Thursday, February ^7, 1881. 
On motion of Mr. Holben, the following resolution 
was twice read, considered, and agreed to : 

Hesolved^ That a session of the Senate be held on 
Wednesday, February 2, at three p. m., for the consider- 
ation of the memorial resolutions relative to the death 
of George D. Jackson. 



HON. GEORGE D. JACKSON. 



OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 



In the Senate, 
Wednesday, February 2, 1881. 

The Senate was called to order at tbree o'clock p. m., 
the President of the Senate, Lieutenant Grovernor 
Stone, in the chair. 

The President. The special order for this after- 
noon's session is the consideration of the resolutions 
I)resented by the Senator from Columbia [Mr, Mc- 
Heney,] relative to the death of Senator Jackson. 
The resolutions will be read. 

The resolutions were read as follows : 

ResoUed., That the Senate of Pennsylvania hereby 
records its high estimate of our late associate as a man, 
a legislator, and a friend. 

Besol'oed, That in the death of Senator Jackson, the 
district has lost one of its honored citizens, the Senate 
of Pennsylvania a most faithful Senator, the cause of 
the people an earnest advocate, and we, his associates, 
a genial companion, and a warm and sympathizing 
friend. 

Resolmd, That we sincerely sympathize with the 
family of the deceased in their sad bereavement, and 
extend to them our heartfelt condolence. 



OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 



Besoloed, That a coi)y of these proceedings, carefully 
engrossed and duly attested, be sent to the family of 
the deceased. 

The question being, 

Will the Senate agree to the resolutions ? 

Mr. McHenry, Mr, President, as successor to the 
late Senator named in the resolutions just read, I deem 
it my duty to ask the indulgence of the Senate for a 
very few minutes. I do not intend offering any ex- 
tended remarks on the death of my late friend, Hon. 
George D. Jacksotst, as there are other gentlemen on 
this floor, who were his colleagues and brother Sena- 
tors, who will do so. The late Senator from Sullivan 
county was so well known by you all for his integrity 
of character, for his diligence in behalf of the people 
he represented, and for his manly, genial qualities, 
that no words of mine can add to the hold he had upon 
your affections and respect. Years ago he settled in 
the wilds of what is now Sullivan county, at Dushore. 
His energies were at once devoted to the improvement 
of that section ; in all matters of progress he was fore- 
most, the leader ; to him is mainly due the erection of 
the Sullivan and Erie railroad and the development of 
the coal, lumber, and other interests of that county. 
His popularity as a representative man is best shown 
by the fact that he was elected Representative from 
the counties of Columbia, Montour, Sullivan, and 
Wyoming in the years 1858, 1859, 1862, and 1863, and 



HON. GEORGE D. JACKSON. 



Senator from the district of Columbia, Montour, North- 
umberland, and Sullivan, in 1866, and again Senator, 
from the present Twenty-fourth district, in 1878, and 
served during the session of 1879, leaving here, at the 
close of the session, afflicted with a disease which caused 
his death on November 23, 1879. 

As a husband he was devoted, and his children have 
lost a kind father, his neighbors a good friend, his 
constituents a good representative, and his party a 
valuable advisor. 

We deplore his early death, but we cannot call him 
back ; but we can bring before us the virtues which our 
deceased friend exemplified in his life and in his con- 
duct ; and we can remember that we also stand near 
the deep waters. Mr. President, I knew him well and 
I can truthfully say, that to know him was to respect 
and love him for his many endearing and worthy qual- 
ities, his manliness, his integrity, his habitual courtesy 
of manner, and I cannot more fittingly close this short 
tribute, than by applying to Senator Jackson the 
encomium, 

"An honest man is the noblest work of God." 

"Peace to his ashes." 

Mr. JoxES. The occasion which has called us to- 
gether at this hour is one of solemn import. Twice 
already during the present session have we met to pay 
our last tribute of respect to members of the Senate 
who have gone the way of all flesh. And, now, sir, 



10 OB ITU A RY A DDR ESSES. 

we meet to lionor the memory of the late Senator 
Jackson. My acquaintance with him began in this 
place, so that it was only durinp; the session of 1879 
that I was privileged to observe his conduct as a man 
and a Senator. 

There was an open frankness about Senator Jack sois" 
and a simplicity of character which first attracted my 
attention. He was always cheerful, bright and happy 
—with a kind word for all. When he was taken ill, 
during that session, I went to his room and sat by his 
bed, and although suffering greatly, he still retained 
his characteristic cheerfulness. When we separated, 
on the 6th of June, 1879, little did I think that we 
should never meet again on earth, and when his death 
was announced in the papers of the day, I felt sincere 
sorrow, for I knew that the State had lost an honest, 
faithful, upright, public servant. There was about 
Senator Jackson a peculiar brusqueness, which, how- 
ever, disai)peared as you knew him better. He was 
no hypocrite — talking one way and acting another, but 
he said what he believed to be the truth and acted ac- 
cordingly. 

And now, after a long, prosperous and honorable ca- 
reer, life's fitful fever is over. He rests from his labors, 
and we, who were wont to hear his cheery voice and 
hearty laugh in this hall, are reminded that sooner or 
later we, too, must follow the same path which he trod, 
and bid adieu, as he did, to all the scenes of earth. 



HON. GEORGE D. JACKSON. 11 

Mr. President, we are very apt, in the enjoyment of 
health, and when prospered in all our undertakings, 
to forget that time is but as a hand's breadth— that the 
fleeting hours allotted to us are very few ; even if we 
be permitted to reach the Psalmist's three score years 
and ten. If we give serious thought to the subject for 
a moment, we must know that a period will come 
when we, too, shall hear the dread summons of the 
Death Angel. Since I have had the honor to sit here 
as a Senator, four of my associates have died while 
members of this body. That fact has brought to my 
mind more vividly than ever before the wonderful 
apocalyptic vision of St. John, the revelator, when 
he saw a mighty angel comedown from heaven, clothed 
with a cloud, with a rainbow upon his head, his face as 
it were the sun and his feet as pillars of Are, one foot 
resting on the sea and the other on the earth, lifting 
uj) his hand to heaven, swearing by Him who liveth 
forever and ever that Time should he no longer. 
What ! no more Time ! Can it be that in the vast un- 
known future a period will arrive when Time shall be 
no longer 'I 

"Heard ye that knell ? It was the knell of Time ! 
And is Time dead ? I thought Time never died. 
I knew liini old, 'tis true — and full of years — 
Witli locks as white as snow, but— he was strong 
As Hercules. I saw him grasp the oak — 
It fell ; tlie lofty tower — it crumbled ; and the stone — 
The sculptur'd monument, that marked the grave 



OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 



Of fallen greatness, ceased its pompous strain 

As time came by. Yes, Time was very strong, 

And I had thought too strong for even Death to grapple. 

But I remember now, his step was wondrous light, 

And though he moved at rapid rate or trod 

On adamant — his foot-fall ne'er was heard. 

And there was something ghostly in the thought 

That in the silence of the midnight hour — 

When all was hush'd as Death — and not a sound 

Crept o'er my chamber's stillness, or awoke 

The echo slumbering tliere — in such an hour 

Time trod my chamber and I knew it not. 

And I have held my breath — and listened close 

To catch one foot-fall — as he glided by. 

But not a slumbering sound awoke, nor sigh ; 

And the thought struck me then, that one, whose step 

Was so much like a spirit's tread, whose acts 

Were all so noiseless, like the world unseen, 

Would soon be tit for other worlds than this — 

Fit for high converse with immortal minds — 

Unfetter'd by the flesh — unchained to earth." 

Mr. Alexander. Mr. President, fellow Senators. It 
is always an unpleasant tiling to me to sjoeak of death. 
It reminds me that man is mortal. He sjiringeth np 
like a flower plant in the spring time, attains his growth, 
and blossoms in the greatest grandenr in his middle 
age, (the summer of his life,) and then like the flower 
plant of the field, begins first to fade, and then dies. 
In the spring-time of the lily and flower the tender 
plant begins its struggle for existence in God' s king- 
dom. The elements of nature, although its mother, 
are sometimes so fretful that the tender bud is nipped 



HON. OEOROE D. JACKSON. IS 

and dies. The blossom is stricken when the most 
beautifully arrayed. The half-grown fruit is stung to 
the heart by death's arrow, and it falls lifeless upon 
the lap of mother earth. The full-grown fruit — that 
which has escaped death's agents and hangs upon the 
boughs in all its beautiful symmetry and golden luster, 
falls at last as death's victim. It has lived its life — it 
has served its purpose in the economy of nature, and 
in nature's laboratory it is resolved into its original — 
"Behold the lilies of the field — they toil not, neither 
do they spin ; yet Solomon, in all his glory, was not 
arrayed like one of these." Yet they fade and wither 
in autumn's blasts; but when the spring-time comes 
they take new life, and bloom again. Not so with 
man ; there is no telling when death' s messenger shall 
summon him hence. He comes to the infant in the 
cradle, and lurks all along the pathway of life, to hoar 
old age. As the poetess has said : 

"Leaves have their thne to fall, 

And flowers to wither at the north wind's breath, 
And stars to set— but all, 
Thou hast all seasons for thine own, oh, death ! 

"Day is for mortal care, 

Eve for glad meetings round the joyous hearth, 
Night for the dreams of sleep, the voice of prayer, 
But all for thee, thou mightiest of this earth ! 

"The banquet hath its hour. 

Its feverish hour of mirth, and song, and wine ; 
There comes a day for grief's o'erwhelming power, 
A time for softer tears — but all are thine. 



U OB ITU A R Y ADDRESSES. 

"Youth and the opening rose 

May look, things too glorious for decay, 
And smile at thee — but thou art not of those 
That wait tlie ripened bloom to seize their prey. 

"We know when moons shall wane, 

When summer-birds from far shall cross the sea, 
When autumns here shall tinge the golden grain. 
But who shall teach us when to look for thee? 

"Is it when spring's first gale 

Comes forth to whisper where the violets lie? 
Is it wlien roses in our paths grow pale? 
They have one season — all are ours to die." 

The messenger came to Gteorge Duggan Jackson 
after he had passed the middle of the average life. 

He was fifty-four years old when he died. I first 
became acquainted with him as a member of the House 
of Representatives in 1864. He was a genial, warm- 
hearted friend, always ready and willing to do a kind 
act. He loved his friends, and I never knew that he 
had an enemy. He was of so genial a nature that he 
could scarcely have an enemy. That he had none 
where he lived, or at least but few, is evident from the 
fact that his people sent him so often to represent them 
in the Legislature of the State — 1859 and 1860, and 
1863 and 1864 to the House of Representatives ; 1867- 
8-9 to the Senate, and in 1878 he was again elected to 
the Senate for the term of four years. He served with 
us here during the session of 1879, and I am sure that 
in this body all were his friends. He was quickly 



HON. GEORGE D. JACKSON. 15 

missed whenever his seat was vacant for a time, and 
his return was always hailed with delight. He was a 
faithful, earnest worker for the good of the people. I 
have no knowledge of his home life, but surely a man 
witli a heart so warm and good, that all who knew him 
loved him, must have been the idol of the home circle. 
His place in this body has been filled by another, but 
the void that has been made in the home circle will 
ever remain. We can do naught to heal those wounded 
hearts that mourn for the dead husband and father. 
Death, the unwelcome messenger who robbed this fam- 
ily of its richest Jewel — unsatisfied and insatiate, will 
sooner or later call for the rest, and after he has taken 
them all — God, the omniscient and immaculate, will 
take them from Death, this king of terrors, and restore 
them to each other. This is our hope. Oh, blessed 
hope, thou art man's best friend, and shall be his com- 
panion as long as the sun and moon shall go their 
rounds ; 

"Till the heavens and earth are rolled away, 
And there shall be no more sea." 

"Eternal hope! when yonder spheres sublime 
Pealed their first notes to sound the march of time, 
Thy joyous youth began — but not to fade 
When all the sister planets have decayed ; 
When wrapt in fire the realms of ether glow. 
And heaven's last thunder shakes the world below; 
Thou, undismayed, shalt o'er the ruins smile. 
And light thy torch at nature's funeral pile." 

Then why should we mourn. The Saviour of a sin- 



16 OBITUAB Y A DD BESSES. 

ful world, the Son of Gfod, has entered into a covenant 
with the Father, and we have the promise that all who 
believe shall be saved. This family, now mourning the 
loss of the husband and the father, shall be re-united 
and dwell together forever more in the golden city of 
the New Jerusalem. Death is the victor now ; but 
wait, thou grim tyrant, the day shall come when thou 
shalt perish. There is one mightier than thou, but 
now, oh, now, thou are king ! 

"Spirit of the drooping wiug, 
And the ever weeping eye, 
Thou of all earth's kings art king: 
Empires at thy footstool lie. 
Beneath thee strewed 
Their multitude 
Sink like waves upon the shore — 
Storms shall never rouse them more. 
What's the grandeur of the earth 
To the grandeur of thy throne? 
Riches, glory, beauty, birth, 
To thy kingdom all have gone. 
Before thee stand 
The wondrous band — 
Bards, heroes, side by side 
Who darkened nations when tliey died. 
Earth has hosts, but thou canst show 

Many a million for her one; 
Through tliy gate the mortal flow 
Has for countless years rolled on. 
Back from the tomb 
No step has come ; 
There fixed till the last thunder's sound 
Shall bid thy i^risoners be unbound." 



HON. GEORGE D. JACKSON. 17 

Then, oli, then ! shall we laugh at thee, oh, Death ! 
Thou shalt die thyself and thy death shall be eternal, 
and we shall mock thee and say — 

"O, Death, where is thy sting, 
O, Grave, where is thy victory." 

Mr. EvERHART. Mr. President, it is proper, perhaps, 
to say something of one whom I highly esteemed. 
While the limited number of this body augments its 
responsibilities and its influence, it promotes also per- 
sonal confidence and affiliation amongst its members. 
Here, amidst various relations and opinions, one's 
characteristics may become understood and acknowl- 
edged. We may, therefore, measurably appreciate 
the worth of our late associate. It seems but yester- 
day that he walked these aisles, chatted by that hearth, 
sat on yonder chair. We easily recall his compact 
figure, his clear glance, his directness of inquiry, his 
boldness of avowal, his sterling sense, his strong will, 
his freedom from affectation or intrusiveness, his busi- 
ness capacity and industry, his vivacity which no suf- 
fering could repress or austerity resist, his conversa- 
tion humorous with anecdote and story, his personal 
kindness constant and cordial. He was prominent in 
political circles without being odious ; a man of con- 
victions, not of pretenses ; a partisan, but not a bigot ; 
positive, but not perverse. He discharged many im- 
portant trusts with faithfulness and skill. He pos- 
sessed a pertinent official wisdom gathered from ex- 



OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 



perience. Though brought up to mercantile affairs, 
his mind was not narrowed to its routine. Though not 
a student of letters, he had a- taste for literary produc- 
tions. Though not a lawyer, he had an intelligent 
notion of the requisites and operations of the law. 
Though not an orator, he could sjoeak with facility and 
force. Though with no unusual early advantages, he 
rose to influence and to honors. Though a person of 
means, no susj^icion was associated with his acquisi- 
tions. Success did not make him vain-glorious, nor 
disappointment embitter or unnerve him. He stood 
conspicuous amongst his friends. He could look 
around him, to the last, with complacency, and behind 
him with pride. He seemed to face the future without 
fear, and talked of death with coolness. He realized 
the values and vanities of life, its opportunities and 
obligations, its varied, irrevocable, mortal progress. 
And so his merits and distinctions, his silence, his ab- 
sence, and his memory, have closed a worthy record ; 
forced new tears from love, preferred new claims for 
duty, made new appeals to conscience. Now, there is 
nothing visible or tangible of his presence left us. The 
stout frame which once thrilled with respirations and 
imi:)ressions, with the legitimate play of the passions, 
and the generous sweep of the mind, pulseless and 
prostrate, has been borne away. Like the unreturning 
wind, like the declining shadow, and the passing vision, 
he has vanished for all time. The clod-covered seeds, 



HON. GEORGE D. JACKSON. 19 

the leatiess forest, that frozen river, and yon snow- 
bound hills, will burst their rigid fetters and adorn 
another season with voluptuous landscapes. But the 
buried flesh must sleep till the last hour summon all 
the earth to judgment. 

Mr. HoLBEN. Mr. President, I feel it a duty to add 
a few words to that which has already been said, touch- 
ing the life and character of George D. Jackson. 

My purpose is not to give a history of his life ; but, 
simply to pay a short tribute to his character, his worth, 
and qualifications as a representative of his constituents. 

The history of his life I must leave to others, because 
my personal acquaintance with him was, comparatively 
speaking, of short duration, though I knew him by 
reputation for some years. 

He entered the Senate in January, 1879, and I served 
with him during the whole of the protracted session 
that followed. The deceased had but few sujDeriors in 
this body. He was a man of sterling qualities of both 
mind and character, a man with almost unlimited de- 
termination. 

He had a genial turn of mind — always hap2:)y, cheer- 
ful, and full of good humor. These qualities he pos- 
sessed in a very large degree. His good humor and 
great geniality never failed to be interesting. Those 
who knew him, whilst he was a member of this body, 
will testify to the fact that his entrance to this cham- 
ber was always welcome. He was an agreeable com- 



OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 



panion at all times and under all circumstances ; and 
it must be conceded by all that lie possessed remark- 
able social qualities. I fear that it may be considered 
indelicate to say anything in regard to his humorous dis- 
position, but I cannot refrain from referring to it. To 
hear him relate his anecdotes was both interesting and 
refreshing. Though he was possessed of the qualities — 
if I may be allowed to use a common expression — he was 
full of fun ; he invariably confined himself within the 
bounds of decorum and decency, and it may be said that 
his conduct and general behavior is beyond criticism. 

His genial disposition made him a very popular com- 
panion, and so far as my knowledge extends, his com- 
pany was always courted. It was a j)leasure to be with 
him. Beside these traits of his, he was an exceedingly 
kind man, I do not think that he would, knowingly 
or intentionally, do a wrong to anybody. He was a 
friend — and my observation has been that when a man 
is a friend to his fellow-beings he will have friends. 
He had many friends, and hence it is that his loss is 
deeply felt — and in his death we have lost a friend, 
which reminds us again forcibly of the truth of the 
truth of the words of the poet, who said : 

"Friend after friend departs; 

Who lias not lost a friend ? 
There is no union here of hearts, 

That finds not here an end. 
Were this frail world our only rest; 

Living or dying, none were blest." 



HON. GEORGE D. JACKSON. 



He was a useful representative. He had reached 
that point of life where, as a citizen, he was patriotic, 
and as a friend, true ; faithful to the high trust confided 
to his keeping, and governed by no other motive than 
to be just to himself and true to the interests of his 
constituents. He was a man of unbending integrity, 
and deeply imbued with the spirit of true manhood. 
No one knowing him ever doubted his honesty. His 
character for honesty was above suspicion. His mo- 
tives were pure — as pure as his private character. 
These qualities made him a very popular and interest- 
ing companion. 

As a representative of his constituents he had but 
few superiors in this body. He was industrious, and 
devoted all his time to the legislation before the Sen- 
ate. Very few bills, if any, escaped his observation 
and scrutiny. He was remarkably vigilant and care- 
ful in everything that came within the line of his duty. 
Although he was genial and kind, yet he was a man of 
very positive convictions. He had a mind of his own 
and carried out his own ideas. 

I learned to admire the rectitude visible in all his 
actions — a rectitude that seemed to spring, not merely 
from a heart well guarded by conscience, but from an 
intellect well poised. Although he seldom participated 
in the debates, yet he was always prepared to act and 
vote intelligently on any question. He read and 
studied the bills before the Senate with great care and 



OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 



diligence. He was well aware that diligence was the 
first round in the ladder to success. 

He has left to his friends the legacy of an honorable 
name, and to his constituents a record of distinguished 
service. His memory is a heritage, as his life was an 
example worthy of emulation ; and the best and most 
enduring monument to him will be the lasting remem- 
brance and unqualified respect of his fellow men. 

The deceased was highly esteemed by his associates 
and acquaintances. He was a noble man, a true friend, 
with a strong constitution and a stout heart, but he 
had to meet the fate common to all. By this we fully 
realize the truth of the lines lately repeated by Senator 
Newmyer, when similar resolutions were under con- 
sideration : 

Time is fleeting ; 
And our hearts, thougii stout and brave, 
Still, like muffled drums, are beating 
Funeral marches to the grave." 

In the decease of George D. Jackson we have lost 
a valuable representative, a true friend, and an agree- 
able companion ; and his memory shall be held in high 
esteem. 

•'While o'er the cold sepulchral stone, 
His name arrests the passer-by." 

Mr. Hall. Mr. President, lest silence might be 
construed as indifference, I desire to add ray tribute to 
the memory of our deceased colleague. The speeches 
that have been made already were so elaborate and 



HON. OEOROE D. JACKSON. S3 

SO eloquent tliat I shall content myself with being very 
brief. On looking over the Legislatwe Record for 
1879. I was struck with the fact that the last words 
spoken by any Senator at that session were spoken by 
Senator Jacksotst. 

When the hour of twelve, noon, arrived, on the 6th 
day of June, he called the orders of the day, and then 
the President adjourned this body without day. It 
may be a mere fancy, sir, but the fact impressed me 
as typical of the hour so soon after when the final or- 
ders were called upon him and the Great Presiding of- 
ficer decreed his dissolution. The death of Senator 
Jackson strikingly illustrates the uncertainty of the 
tenure of human life. Had I been asked at the com- 
mencement of the session who of the members of this 
body in my judgment had the best assurance of length 
of days. Senator Jackson would have been one of the 
first to occur to my mind, for in appearance he was a 
splendid specimen of the physical man, and his spirits 
were always so buoyant that he seemed to have found 
and bathed in the fountain of perpetual youth. And 
yet the seeds of death w^ere lurking within him and so 
developed during the session, that wdien I bade him 
good-bye at its close I felt that it was a farewell for- 
ever. 

During the sickness, which confined him to his room, 
shortly before the close of the session, I visited him 
frequently. He talked freely of his condition, and I 



OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 



was very much impressed with the tenderness of his 
love for his family. They were continually in his 
thoughts and the subjects to which his conversation 
constantly turned. I do not underrate his public ser- 
vices nor the high positions to which he attained, but 
honorable as was that career and dignified as were the 
offices he held, to me, sir, they appear insignificant as 
reasons for homage to his memory compared with this 
exhibition of affectionate devotion to his dear ones at 
home ; a devotion which neither pride of place nor the 
promptings of ambition had in the least degree dimin- 
ished. 

Mr. President, we have been reminded that three of 
our colleagues have died since the last session of the 
Senate. We must all soon follow, for it is appointed 
unto all men to die. How foolish then for us, when 
death is certain and so near, to trifle away our oppor- 
tunities by striving for mere i:>artisan ends or selfish 
purposes. 

The lesson of the occasion to us should nerve us to 
the high resolve to do nothing, either as public ser- 
vants or as private citizens, but what our consciences 
can commend. Then only can we justly claim the re- 
spect of our fellow-men while we live ; then only leave 
fragrant memories when we die, for 

"Only the actions of the just 

Smell sweet and blossom in the dust." 

Mr. Ross. Mr. President, it is not a pleasant theme 



HON. GEORGE D. JACKSON. $5 

to talk about ; death is an enemy of mine ; I do not 
like it. But, sir, when in the exercise of your duties, 
two years ago, when your gavel fell upon the desk and 
you pronounced the Senate adjourned without day, 
we little thought when shaking hands with each other, 
and saying good-bye and farewell, that we were doing 
so with three of our number that death had marked as 
his victims, and that we were then saying those solemn 
words for the last time on earth. But, nevertheless, 
it was a truism ; and I take it, sir, that in these solemn 
providences there is a lesson that we might all learn 
and apply well to ourselves ; that great as was the 
draft upon our body, of fifty, during the interim from 
1879 to 1881, we have no assurance that it may not be 
as great — yea, greater in the interim that must next 
ensue ; and it would be well that we should inquire 
"Is it I?" or "Is it I?" and that we would set about 
it to get our houses in order that we may be ready to 
enter in when the summons comes to us. I knew 
George D. Jackson, late of the Twenty-fourth dis- 
trict, only as a Senator. Of his home life I knew 
nothing. I am pleased to learn that it squared well 
with his life amongst us as a Senator. He was among 
the first of my acquaintances when I entered this 
chamber two years ago, and he was my very near neigh- 
bor during that session ; and as we must have neigh- 
bors I naturally inclined to him, knowing that he was 
a man of riper and larger legislative experience than 



OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 



myself, and I sought liim often in counsel. I always 
found him ready and willing to impart to me any in- 
formation that I sought cheerfully and kindly. I 
learned to regard him as an honest, pure man ; a man 
actuated by the noblest of motives and principles, a 
man of high integrity and of a high order of character. 
He was indefatigable in his labors ; you seldom ever 
observed him that he was not poring over his books or 
papers. I looked upon him as being a faithful servant, 
worthy to be the representative of any constituency. 
He was jovial in his nature, as Senators all knew ; he 
was ever ready to crack a joke ; but he was just as 
ready to defend and support a right measure, and he 
was independent enough to be equally as ready to op- 
pose and combat a wrong one. There has been so 
much said relative to the late Senator, that I do not 
feel it is necessary that I should add anything now, 
and would stop, Mr. President, were it not that there 
is another j)arty to this affair whose loss has been a 
greater loss than the loss of the Senator to this body. 
The vacant chair, or the chair that was made vacant 
by the death of Senator Jackson, in this Senate cham- 
ber has been filled ; it was not an irreparable loss, and 
I trust filled by one who will fill it with as much hon- 
esty and as much dignity, and as much ability as the 
deceased Senator. But there is a chair, a vacant chair, 
that cannot be filled. I mean the chair around the 
family table and the family fireside. There are hearts 



HON. GEORGE D. JACKSON. S7 

there bleeding that must continue to bleed until time 
has dried the fountain from which these streams flow. 
We are ever ready — ^it is our province to be always 
ready to pour into the ears of those who suffer and 
mourn, the words of comfort. I take it that there is 
not a Senator upon this floor to-day, who has not at 
some time in his life, either directly or indirectly, felt 
the pains and sorrow and anguish that is caused by 
death taking from them some near or dear friend. I 
am sure, sir, that I have drunk that cup to its dregs 
many a time. It is a great satisfaction to have friends 
on these occasions, to come to us and try to satisfy us by 
kind words, but it does not satisfy. It is all that we 
can do ; and I, for one, from my heart extend to 
those who have been bereaved and have lost a father, 
a husband, perhaps a son, for aught I know, my deep- 
est, my most heartfelt sympathies. 

The question being. 
Will the Senate agree to the resolutions ? 

The yeas and nays were required by Mr. Jones and 
Mr. Emery, and were as follow, viz : 

Yeas— Messrs. Alexander, Beidelman, Boggs, Davies, 
Emery, Everhart, G-reer, Grof, Hall, Hereter, Holben, 
Jones, Kauffman, Keefer, Laird, Lawrence, Lee, Mc- 
Cracken, McHenry, McKnight, Mylin, Nelson, New- 
myer, Parker, Reyburn, Roberts, Ross, Royer, Schnat- 
terly, Seamans, Sill, Smiley, and Thomas— 33. 

Nays — None. 



OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 



So tlie question was determined in the affirmative. 

The preamble was read as follows : 
Whereas, It has pleased Divine Providence to re- 
move from earth our respected friend and esteemed 
associate, the Honorable Geoege D. Jackson, Senator 
from the Twenty-fourth district ; therefore. 
The question bein^, 
Will the Senate agree to the preamble ? 

It was agreed to. 
The purpose for which the special session was fixed 
having been completed, the President adjourned the 
Senate until to-morrow morning, at eleven o'clock. 




MAR 25 1907 



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